Supreme Court accepting comment on proposed new and amended rules for specialty courts

Supreme Court accepting comment on proposed new and amended rules for specialty courts

TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court is accepting public comment on a proposed new rule and a proposed amended rule that address how specialty courts are defined and what standards judicial districts follow when creating a specialty court.

Comment on the proposed new rule and proposed amended rule may be made by email to publiccomments@kscourts.org until 5 p.m. Monday, May 22, 2017. The subject line must read Specialty Court.

A specialty court is one that uses therapeutic or problem-solving procedures to address underlying factors that contribute to a person's involvement in the criminal justice system, whether those underlying factors are mental illness or addiction.

Proposed Amended Supreme Court Rule 109A allows a judicial district to create a specialty court to address specific needs within its district. The proposed amendment to this rule simplifies the terminology used to describe these courts.

Proposed Supreme Court Rule 109B is new and adopts general standards for judicial districts creating a specialty court. These new standards include having measurable goals and objectives, using evidence-based practices, and having trained, knowledgeable judges overseeing the specialty court.

The proposed rules are available for review on the Kansas judicial branch website at www.kscourts.org under the heading What's New.